Rush Hour: Congress questions Modi on security, US and China agree to reduce trade tensions & more
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The Congress has asked whether Prime Minister Narendra Modi will allow a full debate in the upcoming Monsoon Session of Parliament about India's security and foreign policy challenges following the Pahalgam terror attack. The session will be held from July 21 to August 12.
The Congress' demand came a day after Modi met with members of Indian delegations comprising former diplomats and MPs who visited 32 countries in recent weeks to convey India's position on cross-border terrorism from Pakistan.
Congress MP Jairam Ramesh urged the prime minister to convene meetings with leaders of all political parties to build consensus on India's strategy regarding China and Pakistan, especially in the light of recent statements by Chief of Defence Staff General Anil Chauhan in Singapore.
Ramesh was referring to Chauhan's comments to Bloomberg which were viewed by some as an acknowledgement of the Indian Air Force having lost aircraft during Operation Sindoor. Read on.
The United States and China have agreed on a framework to de-escalate trade tensions and remove restrictions on exports of rare earth minerals imposed by Beijing on Washington DC. However, the specifics of the framework are unclear.
The development comes nearly a month after both countries agreed to suspend tariffs on each other's goods for 90 days, following talks in Geneva.
The agreement had faltered due to China's continued curbs on critical minerals exports. Washington had responded with curbs that prevented shipments of semiconductor design software, aircraft and other goods to China.
Speaking to reporters after two days of discussions in London, US Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick said that the current framework reached with Beijing puts 'meat on the bones' of the May 12 agreement in Geneva to ease bilateral retaliatory tariffs. Read on.
Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah has announced that a fresh caste survey will be conducted in the state, amid concerns about accuracy of the data. The new enumeration exercise will be conducted to address claims from several communities that they were excluded or underrepresented in the survey.
In April, the Socio-Economic and Educational Survey report prepared by the Karnataka State Commission for Backward Classes was accepted by the Cabinet. The data for this survey was collected by the commission in 2015, during Siddaramaiah's previous tenure as chief minister.
The findings had drawn criticism from politicians who claimed that the data did not represent the diverse caste composition of the state. Besides, the Vokkaligas and Veerashaiva-Lingayats, Karnataka's two dominant communities, had objected to the findings, demanding that the report be scrapped. Read on.
The temperature of new air-conditioners in India will be standardised not to go below 20 degrees Celsius and above 28 degrees Celsius, said Union Minister of Power Manohar Lal Khattar. He said that this 'new experiment' would be implemented in all sectors, including vehicles, amid rising temperatures due to climate change and the increasing use of cooling systems.
However, he did not specify when the new mandate would come into effect.
The Bureau of Energy Efficiency has estimated that increasing an air-conditioner temperature setting by just 1 degree Celsius can reduce electricity usage by up to 6%. Read on.
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The Wire
39 minutes ago
- The Wire
India Says Reset with Canada on Agenda, Carney Says Nijjar Probe Raised with Modi
Menu हिंदी తెలుగు اردو Home Politics Economy World Security Law Science Society Culture Editor's Pick Opinion Support independent journalism. Donate Now Top Stories India Says Reset with Canada on Agenda, Carney Says Nijjar Probe Raised with Modi The Wire Staff 39 minutes ago Meanwhile, Carney is still facing questions about his invitation to Modi to attend the G7 summit. MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal addressing the press. Photo: Screenshot from MEA livestream. Real journalism holds power accountable Since 2015, The Wire has done just that. But we can continue only with your support. Contribute now New Delhi: Ahead of the G7 summit, India said on Thursday (June 12) that Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Canadian counterpart, Mark Carney, would discuss a reset in ties grounded in mutual 'sensitivity', even as Carney confirmed raising with Modi the ongoing probes into alleged Indian involvement in criminal plots on Canadian soil. Last week, Carney spoke with Modi and extended an invitation for the forthcoming G7 summit in Kananaskis in western Canada. Modi accepted the invitation, which came just over a week before the summit begins on June 15. It was a dramatic turnaround in relations that had been frozen for 20 months since former Prime Minister Justin Trudeau alleged that Indians agents were involved in killing Khalistani separatist Hardeep Singh Nijjar and the Royal Canadian Mounted Police accused Indian agents of targeting Canadian nationals. During the weekly briefing on Thursday, external affairs ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said that the forthcoming bilateral meeting between Modi and Carney would 'explore pathways to reset the relationship based on mutual respect, shared interests and sensitivity to each other's concerns'. He added that India's views 'on some of these issues have already been shared publicly in considerable detail'. In contrast to Modi's announcement that only spoke about working together with 'renewed vigour', Carney had to immediately defend his invitation before the media. 'We have now agreed, importantly, to continued law enforcement dialogue. So there's been some progress on that, which recognises issues of accountability. I extended the invitation to Prime Minister Modi in that context, and he has accepted,' he said last Friday in Ottawa. When asked about Carney's mention of a dialogue between security agencies, the Indian foreign ministry spokesperson stated, 'There are existing mechanisms between Indian and Canadian law enforcement agencies that have discussed issues of mutual security concern over a period of time. This engagement is likely to continue.' India had previously claimed on several occasions that Canada had 'created an environment for illegal migration and organised criminal activities'. When asked whether India would raise this again, Jaiswal first listed points of commonality with Canada. 'I also [said] that we are two democracies. We are bound by the rule of law. We have an expansive economic engagement. We have large people-to-people connections. We have a big student community there. We have companies invested in both sides. We have technology collaboration, so there's a lot more, lots that can be discussed and for both countries to gain from each other's engagement,' said Jaiswal. Then, he said that on 'anti-India activities, whether it is Canada or anywhere else', India 'expect[s] our international partners to take into account our concerns and act accordingly'. Meanwhile, Carney is still facing questions about the invitation. In an interview to Radio Canada, he was asked whether he spoke to the Indian PM about the ongoing police probes, including the Nijjar case. 'Yes, I have,' he said, as reported by CBC News. The Canadian leader added that the legal case will continue and 'India knows that'. He added that Canada had made progress with India bilaterally and that 'they are OK with having a legal process between law enforcement entities'. Carney reiterated that Canada wants to discuss energy security, critical minerals and artificial intelligence with world leaders, and it's 'hard to have those discussions without India'. Ruling Liberal party lawmaker Sukh Dhaliwal, who represents the constituency where Nijjar was killed, had been critical of the invitation. As per Canadian media, he had a meeting with Carney on Wednesday to express his constituents' concerns. Dhaliwal said Carney is 'very strong' and would represent concerns about Indian interference and transnational crime when speaking to Modi. 'I'm saying it's not a good idea, but now he's invited. We have to move forward,' he said. Canada has listed countering ' foreign interference and transnational crime ' as a key priority for the upcoming G7 summit. Besides India, the other non-G7 invitees to the summit are the leaders of Ukraine, Mexico, Australia, Brazil, South Africa, South Korea and the United Arab Emirates. The Wire is now on WhatsApp. Follow our channel for sharp analysis and opinions on the latest developments. Make a contribution to Independent Journalism Related News Ahead of G7 Summit, Canada Lists 'Foreign Interference and Transnational Crime' as Key Priority Marking Turnaround in Ties, Modi Accepts Late Canadian Invitation to Attend G7 Summit Next Week Canada Placed Law Enforcement Conditions Before Modi for G7 Summit Invite: Report Nijjar & After: Facing Flak, Canadian PM says Progress in 'Accountability' Paved Way for Modi G7 Invite As the G7 Clock Ticks, Silence over India's Invite and What it Means India's Disastrous Isolation Around the World As India and Canada's Foreign Ministers Speak Over Phone, Signs of a Further Thaw in Ties Has Trump 2.0 Deprioritised India? The Evidence is Clear. Whose Growth Is it, Anyway? Understanding India's Infrastructure Push View in Desktop Mode About Us Contact Us Support Us © Copyright. All Rights Reserved.
Economic Times
an hour ago
- Economic Times
Client services for client state: Trump's reset with Pak is marked by a transactional, short-horizon foreign policy
US anxiety seems to centre around India's destruction of Pakistan's Nur Khan airbase. According to Imtiaz Gul, it's 'under American control'. Our forefathers believed that we were different from Hindus in every possible aspect of life. Our religion is different. Our customs are different. Our traditions are different. Our thoughts are different. Our ambitions are different.… That was the foundation of the Two-Nation Theory. It was laid on the belief that we are two nations, not one.' That was Pakistan Army chief Gen — now Field Marshal — Asim Munir speaking at the Convention for Overseas Pakistanis in Islamabad on April 17. Less than a week later in Pahalgam, Pakistani terrorists killed 1 Christian and 24 Hindu tourists, as well as a local Muslim who resisted the assailants, after the killers established their victims' religious identities. A link between Munir's rant and the Pahalgam massacre is a possibility. But the rage in India in response to the attack went far beyond what Pakistan had expected. Perhaps it had assessed that India would do what it had done after the 2016 Uri attack when 18 Indian soldiers were killed. Or, in response to the 2019 Pulwama suicide bombing, which killed 41 Indian paramilitary soldiers. On both earlier occasions, India had reacted with one-off counterattacks in POK and Balakot. Rawalpindi probably expected a similar reaction post-Pahalgam. This time, the storyline changed. India's counter, launched on May 7, forced the Pakistani DGMO to speak to his Indian counterpart on May 10, and seek a ceasefire. The world is now aware of what transpired between May 7 and 10, although many would not want to talk about it. Suppliers of military equipment to Pakistan — the US, China, and Turkey — will probably be reevaluating their equipment that succumbed to Indian, Russian and French equipment. Inevitably, the Americans got into the act, mostly to save their major non-Nato ally. The resounding success of the Indian response had taken them aback. One wondered about the urgency of Trump's self-described 'intervention' to stop matters escalating on the India-Pak front when the Ukraine war and IsraelHamas conflict — or even the Houthi battles in Yemen — have been allowed to last for years. Indian denials about US intervention have been ignored by the Americans. The Pakistanis, of course, eagerly accepted this rescue. US anxiety seems to centre around India's destruction of Pakistan's Nur Khan airbase. Remember, according to Pakistani journalist and security expert Imtiaz Gul, the base is 'under American control', where even senior Pakistan Army officers are not allowed to has been extremely useful to the US. Its defence minister Khawaja Asif asserted that they had been fighting America's dirty wars for 30-odd years. From a strategic perspective, it's well-known that the US has been helping Pakistan to keep India 'occupied', while they get a geographic toehold near Iran and China. Both China and the US would like to have total control over Pakistan, to have a base looking at their interests to the east and economic rise, its decisions to choose its sourcing and look after its own interests, cause concern to the US. India tends to get under its skin, as its commerce secretary Howard Lutnick grumbled recently. Which is why the restart of the old game of hyphenating India and Pakistan, ignoring Indian sensitivities, while propping up these decisions may have been made earlier, announcements of $1 bn to Pakistan by IMF, $40 bn by World Bank, and another $800 mn during Operation Sindoor were bad optics. The latest signallings include inviting Munir to attend the 250th US Army Day celebrations in Washington on June 14 — which also happens to be Trump's 79th birthday. Undoubtedly, Munir will meet officials from the State Department and Pentagon, and get promises for military Central Command commander Michael E Kurilla, testifying before the House Armed Services Committee in Washington earlier this week, described Pakistan as a 'phenomenal partner' in anti-terrorism operations. He emphasised the need for the US to maintain relationships with both India and Pakistan, stating that he didn't 'believe it is a binary switch that we can't have one with Pakistan if we have a relationship with India'. In that case, the US shouldn't have a problem with India's relations with Russia and the a matter of conjecture if this US-Pak partnership is about Iran, Central Asia or even India. Pakistan is looking at buying 40 more Chinese J-35A stealth fighter aircraft, a rival of the US F-35, with a listed price of $9 bn, but on offer at 50% the value. This will mean that 80% of Pakistan's military purchases will be from China. Pakistan's debt to China, including CPEC, already amounts to nearly $70 April 26, World Liberty Financial (WLF) agreed to help build Pakistan's blockchain infrastructure, promote stablecoin-based remittances, and tokenise real-world assets. The agreement seeks to position Pakistan as a crypto-forward nation. Eric Trump, the president's son, is associated with WLF, whose executives met Pakistani PM Shehbaz Sharif as well as Munir. Enough such conditions, India should be prepared for Pahalgam-style attacks in the future, while expecting no assistance from China, and ambivalence from the US. (Disclaimer: The opinions expressed in this column are that of the writer. The facts and opinions expressed here do not reflect the views of Elevate your knowledge and leadership skills at a cost cheaper than your daily tea. How a nudge from Cyrus Mistry helped TCS unlock a USD1 billion opportunity Explainer: The RBI's LAF corridor and its role in rate transmission Is Zomato under siege? 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New Indian Express
an hour ago
- New Indian Express
Triumph of India's diplomatic crusade against terror
Another vital goal was to impress on our international interlocutors Pakistan's complicity in such acts of terror and its malign nurturing of terror groups, weaponised against India as an instrument of state policy. The ultimate objective of this outreach was to garner global support for India's counterterrorism efforts—all while driving home the point that the perpetrators of terror and the victims of it must never be spoken of in the same breath, let alone be the object of mediation, as if terrorists and their victims could be placed on an equal plane. But even while these delegations where on their missions, conflicting views surfaced in our congested (and often confused) news space on the question of their success, with some dismissing it as a drain on taxpayers' money. The truth is that we have succeeded, emphatically and evidently, in what we set out to do. As the leader of one of the seven delegations, these are my reflections on some of the achievements of our outreach across five nations in South, Central, and North America: Guyana, Panama, Colombia, Brazil, and the US. In all these five countries, our delegation was greeted with tremendous enthusiasm and regard for India's democratic, inclusive, and united approach to this crucial national security concern. With our diversity—of political affiliation, faith, mother tongue and native region—on ample display, yet speaking the same language of resolve and righteousness, we undertook a series of high-profile engagements. Notably, we met the President of Guyana, Mohamed Irfaan Ali; Prime Minister of Guyana, Brigadier Mark Anthony Phillips; Vice President of Brazil, Geraldo Alckmin; and Vice President of the US, J D Vance. To ensure that our message resounds in the highest decision- and law-making forums of these countries, we provided thorough briefings on Operation Sindoor and India's evolving counterterrorism policy to government officials and lawmakers—including the heads of external affairs committees in all five countries, presidents of the national assembly in two, and in the US, the Senate foreign relations committee, House foreign affairs committee, and the India Caucus). To shape public discourse in these nations, we extensively engaged with the media and policy experts, participated in think tank deliberations—as with the Council on Foreign Relations in the US— and brought the Indian diaspora up to speed with developments back at home, providing them with accurate information to serve as advocates for India's position. Though our target audience was those concerned with foreign policy who could make an impact and we had no unrealistic expectations of mass media attention in a crowded news space, our outreach was positively covered by major outlets in the countries concerned. While anchored in the core issue of terrorism, our engagements also spanned broader domains of strategic, technological, defence, trade and economic cooperation, serving to deepen our bonds with the five nations.
